According to the US Army, the Dark Eagle:
“…is a road-mobile and air-transportable weapon system…that can travel at speeds in excess of 3,800 miles per hour, with a reported range of 1,725 miles. It communicates with the Army’s command and control networks via the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System.”
Lockheed Martin and Northrop are reportedly developing the Dark Eagle’s airframe (a two-stage rocket) and attendant components. The Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) is reportedly based on the Alternate Re-Entry System developed by the Army and Sandia National Laboratories. Dynetics, a subsidiary of Leidos, is developing prototypes of the C-HGB for the Army and Navy.
As stated by the Congressional Research Service:
“The C-HGB uses a booster rocket motor to accelerate to well above hypersonic speeds and then jettisons the expended rocket booster. The C-HGB, which can travel at Mach 5 or higher on its own, is planned to be maneuverable, potentially making it more difficult to detect and intercept.”
One significant difference between a hypersonic missile and a ballistic missile is the former’s ability to maneuver while streaking toward its intended target. In addition, the hypersonic missile has exceptional speed, making a hypersonic missile incredibly difficult to intercept.
On the other hand, while ballistic missiles can reach speeds over Mach 5, their trajectory is predictable, making it relatively easy to determine their point of origin and estimate their point of impact.
Direct Action: What the Dark Eagle is Bringing to the Table
The Joint Forces Quarterly states that hypersonic weapons, such as the Dark Eagle, have greatly improved the ability to elude an adversary’s detection and tracking sensors. This advantage allows the Dark Eagle to quickly penetrate an enemy’s air and missile defense grid and strike top-tier targets with little warning.
This quick strike option will be ideal for locating and knocking out targets that have a very small window of opportunity for striking. Such targets can include high-ranking military, terrorist, or militant leadership that is attempting to relocate or mobile weapon systems armed with weapons of mass destruction. In such a situation, a hypersonic missile would vastly outpace a cruise missile, such as the Tomahawk, a staple of US military surgical strikes.
To this point, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (and former commander of US Strategic Command) General John Hyten stated that hypersonic weapons could “… provide responsive, long range, strike options against distant, defended, and/or time-critical threats when other forces are unavailable, denied access, or not preferred.”
In the case of denied access, China has constructed an A2/AD network with missiles that can strike as far as Guam. This network is tailor-made to keep the US Navy (particularly the Carriers) at a distance if a conflict erupts over Taiwan or any other regional flashpoints in which the US has a vested interest.
If forward deployed, Dark Eagle, along with other stealth aerial platforms, would be among the first weapons used to directly attack China’s A2/AD network. This advance strike would clear a path for follow-on forces.
Deterrence: A Hallmark of US Defense Policy
Finally, deterrence is a central tenant of US defense policy. From Europe to Asia, the US and its allies seek to deter the ambitions of hostile regional actors.
In terms of pursuing deterrence, the Joint Forces Quarterly states:
“The National Defense Strategy calls for the joint force to deter aggression in key regions—the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East—and to deter nuclear and nonnuclear strategic attacks and defend the homeland.”
Two hallmarks of deterrence are Denying Benefit and Imposing Costs. In terms of the former, if an adversary is aware that their ballistic missiles will be destroyed mid-flight, their cost/benefit calculus will be radically altered.
Regarding imposing costs, if an adversary is aware that its senior leaders, critical infrastructure, and military staging areas will be immediately targeted upon the initiation of hostilities, giving the green light for such an operation becomes much more difficult.
Getting the Dark Eagle into the Field
The Dark Eagle is expected to be deployed by September 2025; this date cannot come soon enough.
The first designated unit to operate a battery (eight missiles) of Dark Eagle missiles will be the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. This unit is also referred to as a Strategic Long-Rage Fires battalion and is an element of the Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, a unit in the Indo-Pacific-oriented I Corps.
Wisely, the first unit to operate the Dark Eagle will have an eye towards the Indo-Pacific. This area is, of course, one of the most tense in the world as China is seeking to gain total control over its regional neighbors and expel the US.
When deployed, the Dark Eagle will ensure that any militarily significant move made by Beijing will be as painful as possible. Yet, with any hope, its deterrent qualities will prevent or significantly reduce Beijing’s appetite for regional adventurism.
China likely has a one-word explainer when it comes to this missile: trouble. At Mach 5, or more.
Author Bio: Christian P. Martin
Christian P. Martin is a Michigan-based writer; he earned a Master’s degree in Defense & Strategic Studies (Summa cum laude) from the University of Texas, El Paso. Currently, he is a research assistant at the Asia Pacific Security Innovation Forum. Concerning writing, he has published several dozen articles in places like Simple Flying, SOFREP, SOF News, and The Collector.
